The project is located in Kranichstein, a district of Darmstadt, in which citizens with 76 different nationalities live. The district is a major residential area for the whole city (approximately 7.7% of the resident population / 2007) and because of its population composition, has the function to take on significant integration challenges for the city of Darmstadt.
Besides a high percentage of the population living under precarious circumstances, many households are located in the middle to upper middle class and have a high self-help potential and strong networks.
In the various migrant communities there is a certain degree of organization. There are unincorporated associations and support groups whose aim is to promote the integration of their compatriots. They assist the people in coping with everyday problems, organize language classes and assist with school homework and campaign for the mediation between the private and the German culture.
The German population often complains that immigrants are less involved in the district work and less interested in the events in the district and don't perceive offers as much as they'd like.

• immigrant and local participants of the joint activities and their children
• Members of migrant organizations
• District-related committees, working groups
• district workshop
• Social Service Diakonisches Werk Darmstadt-Dieburg

1. Throught regular joint activities (excursions, cooking together, ...) immigrants and native citizens come together actively. Through joint activities personal contacts arise which facilitate participation in district committees, i.e. interested participants can enter into a partnership (language exchange, common hobbies, support in everyday life). There are training courses and constant personal support.
2. Through workshops (club development, public relations, etc.), the immigrant organizations are supported in their work. This creates recognition and a greater willingness to work on issues of the district.
3. Content: Sustained efforts on the needs of the citizens and approach to activating community work. Easy language.
4. Structure: The project is under the auspices of the office of the district workshop Darmstadt (federal-state program Social City Location) and uses as well as expands its network in the district and in the city of Darmstadt. Intercultural, intergenerational team.

52 participants: 23 domestic and 29 immigrant citizens between 21 and 74 years of age.
Citizens from 11 countries: Morocco, Turkey, Iraq, Germany, Somalia, Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Poland.
Project participants increasingly take part in the district-related committees, such as Neighborhood Round Kranichstein, information sessions, etc.
9 integration partnerships were built.
24 events were held for the BIFI participants and
5 workshops and a field trip to Cologne for the professionalisation of migrant organizations, a further 4 information sessions as well as the regularly scheduled working group 'Migrants in Kranichstein'.
7 clubs or groups could professionalize their work. All clubs or groups work more on neighborhood-based issues (Education, participation in committees, cleanliness, co-organization of the district festival).
In the European Volunteers Day in Darmstadt 2011, more than 55 citizens participated in two BIFI projects.
About 120 participants took part in each of the major events.

The opinion of the target group: Above all, the opportunity to build personal contacts between native and immigrant citizens was highly appreciated. "Now when I'm sitting in the tram and I meet someone from the project and talk to him for a while, it makes us happy - that's the great thing about the project!" (Participant)

For many participants it was very important to know about the opportunities for participation and neighborhood-oriented services.

1. Master thesis on the topic
'Integration partnerships as a way of participating in society', Studies on Challenges and Prospects
Questions:

• How must integration partnerships be organized to facilitate participation in the society?
• Which role does the volunteering / civil society play?
• Effects of individual integration partnerships (individual level) on the societal level.
• How can integration succeed?

2. Questionnaire in simple language for the meantime, sent to all participants. Return rate: 40%

3. Feedback session after each event, activity - influence on further development

Recommendation: Initially, the project included only the qualification of local citizens to integration partners. To be inclusive, we have opened the qualification courses for all citizens and found the simple language as an ideal communication tool.

Essential for the success of every activity and event was on the one hand the interrogation of interests (excursions, museums, workshop topics, ...) and on the other hand the simultaneous sampling of the willingness to participate.

• about € 126,000.00 funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees
• approximately € 27,500.00 own capital of the organization
• Project Coordinator with 28 hours / week (Inclusive Education M.A., languages: German, English, Russian)
• Integration assistant with 15-20 hours (languages: German, Turkish)
• In addition, the expertise and time of both employees of the district workshop Kranichstein

- Lawyer, interpreter (languages: German, French, English, Arabic, several African dialects)
- Urban Planning (languages: German, English)